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Category: Learn

What is a Phone Menu? (Benefits & How to Set Up)

28th July 2022 blog
what is a phone menu

Want to create a responsive and easy-to-navigate phone system? Start with your phone menu to improve caller experience. After all, that’s the first impression your business makes on a customer, …Read More »

What is Telephone Number Mapping (ENUM)?

25th July 2022 blog
What is Telephone Number Mapping (ENUM)?

A brief overview of telephone number mapping (ENUM), its connection to E.164, and how it fits within VoIP and SIP communication systems. Understanding ENUM Most 11-digit phone numbers are part …Read More »

Low-Code vs No-Code IVR Development: Differences & Similarities

13th July 2022 blog
Low code vs no code IVR

Digital transformation can help you modernize your business processes and improve overall efficiency. And one way to accelerate digital transformation within your organization is to utilize more low-code and no-code …Read More »

What is iNum?

12th July 2022 blog
what is iNum

The 1990s and 2000s were a golden era of globalization. Global trade in goods and services, as well as capital flows across borders, reached unprecedented levels. As a result, businesses …Read More »

How to Invest in Africa’s Fast-Growing Economies with Call Forwarding Services

11th July 2022 blog, International Business
invest in africa

Collaborated with Meryl D’Sa-Wilson The rise in modern technology usage and emerging markets has made Africa a prime location for international business. So, what does that mean for companies wanting …Read More »

11 Call Center Technologies Business Leaders Must Know [2025]

29th June 2022 blog
A comprehensive list of the most important call center technologies in 2023..

Many businesses use a suite of call center technologies ranging from basic to cutting-edge. This technology helps companies achieve big benefits like increased efficiency and enhanced customer experiences. But, how …Read More »

Do Toll Free Numbers Work Internationally?

28th March 2018 Learn, Tech, Tips

If you’re looking for toll free numbers for your business, you’ll quickly notice that there are a number of available options. Deciding which one you want can be a little confusing, particularly if you’re not sure which type of toll free number is right for your company. To resolve any confusion, here is a rundown of the different types of toll free numbers, how they work, and where they work.

International Toll Free Numbers

When you subscribe to international toll free numbers, they will be allocated to the countries of your choosing. Your customers in those countries will be able to call you without any charge to them. Instead, your company pays for the cost of the call. This is a great way to expand your business throughout the world because it provides an inexpensive and efficient way to increase your communication and marketing. It also makes it much easier for clients to contact you.

So that your customers know that their calls will be free of charge, international toll free numbers are formatted with a different prefix than other numbers. The prefix will vary depending on the country the calls are being made from, but they are easily recognizable.

How Does International Toll Free Calling Work?

Let’s say that your company is located in the United States, but you have a significant customer base in the U.K. Those British customers may be reluctant to call you because they would have to pay costly long-distance calling charges. They would also have to mess around with tricky long-distance calling codes. Market research shows that these two factors will reduce communications with your customers, decrease your leads, and cut your revenue.

This is where international toll free numbers come in. In this case, you can avoid the problem by purchasing a U.K. toll free number, from a company such as Global Call Forwarding. That makes it free for all your British customers to call you, and all calls will be easily redirected to your mobile phone, office landline or customer service center in the U.S.

How Toll Free Numbers Can Improve your Metrics

The important thing to remember when you buy international toll free numbers is that you can make each one serve its own purpose. In this way, you can track the effectiveness of your marketing strategies. For example, let’s say you are advertising your product or service in several places simultaneously. These are:

  • Your website
  • Television
  • Newspaper
  • Email newsletter

You could use a different toll-free number for each of these mediums, that way you would be able to track each lead to its original source. Armed with this information, you can adjust your marketing strategies to be more effective where necessary. You will also need to find out any restrictions before you purchase a new number, such as whether the phone number will work with mobile phones or not.

Are There Any Universal Toll Free Numbers?

Many business owners want to know if they can purchase toll free numbers that are free to call from anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, global toll free numbers, in this sense, do not exist. However, there is something similar. This is called a universal international freephone number (UIFN).

Although UIFNs aren’t universal toll free numbers, they can be used to make toll free calls from several different countries. These numbers do come with some restrictions, including:

  • Each UIFN must be registered in a minimum of two countries.
  • Each UIFN must be in service for a minimum length of time, this being at least 180 days from the day you subscribed to it.

How UIFNs Work

UIFNs take a current toll free number and turn it into an international number by adding an extra digit. Now you have an 11-digit number that doesn’t alter the integrity of your existing toll free number. For example, if your original toll free number was 1-800-FLOWERS, it would then become +8000-FLOWERS. This method allows you to maintain your original vanity number while enabling your business to receive calls from other countries. By making just this slight variation, you have extended your global reach, while also boosting your brand awareness.

If you need a toll free number that can be used in several countries, a UIFN may be a good choice for your company. Make sure to check the restrictions, and shop around for set-up fees because they can be expensive.

Virtual International Phone Numbers

If you haven’t heard of virtual international numbers, you may have heard of DID (direct inward dialing) as they are sometimes referred to. This is a type of international toll free number that is not tethered to an actual phone line. Instead, calls made via a virtual phone number are rerouted by the service provider to your office phone, customer service team, or even your personal cell phone. This type of toll free number sometimes comes with a host of special features. For example, virtual phone number provider Global Call Forwarding also offers failover forwarding, blacklisting and whitelisting, SMS forwarding, voicemail to email, and time of day routing.

Virtual toll free numbers can route calls originating from several sources such as:

  • Mobile phones
  • Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
  • Public switched telephone network (PSTN)

This means you can receive calls from all over the world from practically any platform to any platform.

When you begin your search for an international toll free number, the main thing to be aware of is that there are many competing companies in the market, each offering different packages and different services for differing fees. A certain number of different factors will influence your final choice, such as the size of your company, your budget, how much global exposure you have or want, etc. The best virtual international phone number providers do not charge activation or set-up fees, in most cases, and the virtual numbers should be available within just a few minutes. Furthermore, you should not be required to make a long-term commitment, and you should be able to cancel at any time without incurring a penalty.

Is an 877 Number Toll Free?

23rd March 2018 Learn, Tech, Tips

A toll free number is one that can be dialed without the caller being charged. In the United States, all toll free numbers have a distinctive three-digit code. These are 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833. One of the most popular uses for toll free numbers is customer service calls. Toll free numbers allow your clients to call your company without having to pay local or long-distance charges.

How 877 Numbers Are Assigned

You can obtain toll free numbers from a number of companies, such as Global Call Forwarding. As well as providing a toll free service, many of these companies will also offer other features and services. Some of these features include time-based routing, hosted call recording, blacklisting and whitelisting, voicemail to email, SMS forwarding, and failover forwarding.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees the official regulating of toll free numbers. The organization sets mandates for how toll free numbers may be obtained and used. One of the requirements is that all toll free numbers must be portable, which means you can take your number with you when you’re switching service providers.

Benefits of Toll Free Numbers

Using toll free numbers for your business has several benefits including:

  • Saving your customers money: they will be more inclined to make the call if they don’t have to pay for it.
  • Boosting your brand: it enables you to build your brand effectively across different media.
  • Making your company contact information easier to remember: it will stick in your customers’ minds every time they see or hear it.
  • Giving your company a more professional appearance: your company will look bigger even if you’re operating from a home office.

Is an 877 Number Toll Free?

Not all toll free numbers are equal. Dialing a different prefix will route your call to a different recipient. For example, dialing 1-800-767-0987, will not connect you to the same recipient as dialing 1-888-767-0987. The first toll free number available was an 800 number, which has been around for about 50 years. As these numbers became saturated, other toll free numbers had to be created to meet the demand. One explanation of how the numbers differ is by comparing them to web domains:

  • Having an 800 number would be similar to having a .com domain
  • Having an 888 number would be similar to having a .net domain
  • Having an 887 number would be similar to having a .info domain
  • Having an 866 number would be similar to having a .biz domain

Why are Free 877 Numbers Important Marketing Tools?

Toll free numbers, when used correctly, can provide a valuable marketing tool for your company, particularly if you want to boost your brand. Although the numbers are toll free for your customers, your business will pay for incoming and outgoing calls. You can use toll free numbers to help with generating leads. Customers who call your toll free numbers have usually already used your services or bought your products at least once. They may also wish to place an order, or they may have some questions about your products or services. Toll free numbers offer a great way to track your leads to the source and see if your marketing strategies are working effectively.

Making the Most of a Toll Free Number

To make the most of a toll free number it’s important to choose one that is easy to remember so that it will reinforce your brand. There are two types of toll free numbers; these are known as vanity numbers and prime numbers. A vanity number is one which spells out the name of your company or something related to it. For example, if you are a wedding photographer, you may choose the vanity number 877-WED-PHOTO. A prime toll free number is one that is easy to remember because of the combination of digits. For example, 877-777-8787.

If you are looking for a vanity number, many more are still available with the newer prefixes. But bear in mind that some mobile devices don’t have alphanumeric keypads, so customers who are calling from their cell phone may have an easier time remembering a prime number. If you do wish to go ahead with a vanity number, always include the numeric equivalent alongside it in all of your advertising campaigns.

Which Toll Free Prefix Should I Choose?

Although many companies have been using 800 numbers for decades, the other toll free prefixes are becoming just as popular. However, which one you choose may have some impact on your return on investment.

For example, if you are advertising your business on television or radio, you may prefer to use 800 or 888 numbers simply because they are easier for your prospective customers to remember. Nevertheless, whichever prefix you use, a toll free number is always a good option.

If you do decide to use an 877 number, be sure to make it clear to your customers that this is a toll free number, as some of them may not be aware of this. One of the problems that business strategists often point out with using one of the less familiar toll free prefixes is that clients may misremember your number and replace the 877 prefix with 800, which will obviously lead them to a different company, perhaps even one of your competitors. But, an advantage of using an 877 toll free number is that because they are not yet as popular as 800 numbers, more of them will be available. It pays to check the 800 version of your vanity number to make sure that it is not in use by one of your competitors.

Using toll free numbers are beneficial for your business because they encourage people to call you and they help you trace your marketing campaigns back to the lead. If you use an 877 prefix, it would be wise to remember to make absolutely clear that it is a toll free number for customers who may not be aware of this. Don’t forget; you can use toll free numbers for your U.S. and international customer base.

Related: The Difference Between 800, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888 Numbers

Opening a Business in Dubai

19th March 2018 Learn, Tips

Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates. It is situated on the Persian Gulf coast and is bordered by Oman in the southeast, Abu Dhabi in the south, and Sharjah in the northeast. Often called “The City of Gold,” Dubai is known for its luxury shopping, opulent skyscrapers, and offshore artificial islands.

Expanding your Business to Dubai

New businesses are welcomed in Dubai. Newly established companies are very attractive to investors because of the city’s economic stability in the global market. Current economic trends offer a wealth of opportunities for foreign investors to make the most of imports and exports and increasing tourist traffic in the area, which means you will have plenty of new and recurring customers passing through.

It’s important to be informed of all the necessary details needed for business start-ups in Dubai, that way you can avoid any issues or complications. If you’re setting up a physical location in Dubai, one thing you will need to do is to connect with a local sponsor. This person must be a UAE national and must be your partner with a 51 percent share in your business. You must pay your sponsor an annual fee which you will negotiate at the outset.

If you prefer to own your own business completely, then you will have to locate your business in one of Dubai’s free zones. While this is a viable solution for some types of business, it won’t work if your company needs to be directly a part of the city markets, for example, in the event you own a retail store or restaurant.

Selecting the most suitable location for your business is as important in Dubai as anywhere else. The most crucial thing to remember is that even if you set up a profitable company in the heart of the business district, it still isn’t going to work well for you if your customers are unable to reach you.

The Easy Way to Extend Your Business to Dubai

If this is all starting to sound a little complicated, fear not, there is a way that you can enter the Dubai marketplace without even having to have a physical presence in the country, simply by using a virtual phone number. Here’s an example of how your company can reap the benefits of virtual phone numbers in Dubai with a company such as Global Call Forwarding.

Let’s say you have a small business in the U.S. and you would like to develop a client base in Dubai. All you need to do is sign up with the service provider, and they will assign you one or more local or toll-free numbers in Dubai. You then pass these numbers on to your clients in that region. When they wish to call you, they dial the local number, and Global Call Forwarding redirects the calls to the number of your choice; this can be your landline, office number, cell phone, or customer service call center.

Having a Dubai virtual phone number is great for boosting customer confidence in your business. Market research studies have shown that customers are much more likely to call a local number for assistance because they prefer to do business with companies in their vicinity. With a Dubai virtual phone number, you can establish a presence in the United Arab Emirates without having to travel there. Additionally, your customers don’t have to pay for expensive international calls, nor do they have to deal will confusing international dialing codes.

If you’re considering opening a business in Dubai, virtual numbers present a way to do so that is efficient and cost-effective. You don’t have to pay for a dedicated phone line, additional phone equipment or expensive software; you simply use the resources you already have. It’s an affordable way for your colleagues and clients in Dubai to reach you. Not only that, even if you have a small business which you run from your home office, it gives your company international status.

opening business in dubai
Source: Stockphoto.com O#20443 – MID#4976853

Other Advantages of Dubai Toll-free Numbers

  • Boosting your brand: International toll-free numbers increase the reach and reputation of your brand by giving you access to untapped international markets.
  • Increasing your response rate: Studied show that adding toll-free numbers to your advertising campaigns increase your response rate by a significant percentage.
  • Tracking your marketing campaigns: Because there’s no limit to the number of virtual phone numbers you can use, you can add a different one to each of your websites, newsletters, TV ads, and ads in local papers. It makes it a cinch to see which of your marketing strategies are the most effective and which ones you need to improve.
  • Keeping your personal and business calls separate: There’s no need to put your cell phone number on your website, business cards, or ads, and no need to get an additional phone. You can use the same phone for personal and business calls while keeping them both separate.

Other Features of Virtual International Numbers

When you sign up with a company such as Global Call Forwarding, you also have the benefit of a suite of additional features.

  • Black and whitelisting: You’ll never have to answer unwanted calls, and you won’t miss a call from an important client.
  • Failover forwarding: This feature enables you to program your account with several different phone numbers so that if the first number is busy or does not answer, the system will automatically redirect the call to the next number in the queue, ensuring that calls are not dropped.
  • Fax to email: You will be able to send and receive faxes via your virtual number. Each fax is received as an email attachment, and you can read it or print it with ease.

If you’re considering opening a business in Dubai, it pays to use international virtual call forwarding. Your business will increase, you will gain more customers, and your employees will be able to work from wherever they are, even when they are not in the office.

Call Recording Laws in Australia

16th March 2018 Learn, Tips

There are times when recording what people say during a phone call sounds like a great idea. Maybe you want to memorialize something being promised to you by someone else. A hosted call recording service can resolve “he said/she said” disputes. Recorded phone calls can help prove guilt or innocence in a court of law, or they can simply be used as a tool to jog your memory later on about who said what in a given conversation.

Is it Legal to Record a Phone Call in Australia

Recording a phone call in Australia is not always legal, and the laws that govern recording phone calls can not only be complex but can even differ from territory to territory.

National and Territory Laws Differ

National Australian law deals with recording phone calls by regulating the intercepting of phone signals. As a general rule, it is illegal for businesses to record phone conversations in Australia without obtaining consent from the other person. The act also makes it criminal to do anything “that will enable” wiretapping phone lines, meaning even those who install listening devices, or who assist others in recording calls in Australia, could be liable under the law.

The requirement that the parties have knowledge that a call is being recorded is why large companies that call you will often start with a disclosure, stating that your call is being recorded (sometimes for “quality control purposes,” but more likely, so that the company doesn’t run afoul of the law).

But the laws get more varied depending on which Australian territory you are in when you’re recording calls between private individuals, and when dealing with the law regarding listening devices.

Some Australian territories allow individuals to record phone calls whenever they want. For example, in Queensland, you can record a phone conversation with the consent of only one party — the other person doesn’t even have to know the phone call is being recorded. Other territories in Australia are more restrictive. New South Wales and Tasmania, for example, require that all parties give consent before a private conversation can be recorded.

Some territories have their own unique exceptions and definitions. For example, South Australia allows one-party consent recording if the recording is done on the course of someone’s “duty” or if the recording is in the “public interest.” In Australia’s Northern Territory, it is legal to record unless you have actual express knowledge that the other party does not want to be recorded.

How the Calls Are Recorded

Even in parts of Australia where recording phone calls is legal with only one party’s consent, the legality of recording phone calls often turns to how the calls are being recorded.

In Queensland, even if you are recording legally, you can only do so with a recording device that is not attached to the telephone. This means that a Dictaphone or a recorder unattached to the phone, or any other device that captures the sound as it leaves the phone — including a video camera — would need to be used to be legal. Victoria and Northern Territory have the same rules as Queensland.

Exceptions to Prohibitions on Call Recording

In some territories, the law forbids recording “private conversations.” The meaning of “private conversation” in Australian phone recording law is not very clear. Both the intent of the parties, and the circumstances of the conversation will be considered in determining when a conversation is private or not. If the conversation is not private, the recording laws may not apply and the recording may be legal however it is done.

call recording laws
Source: Shutterstock D#363709706 – Standard License

But again, the law of your territory may differ slightly. For example, in Tasmania, a “private recording” is defined more subjectively. To be private, it must be reasonably assumed that the participants wanted the conversation to be private. That’s different from asking whether it’s objectively reasonable to expect that a conversation is private.

Some Australian territories have laws that allow the recording if recording the call is necessary to protect legal interests.

There are differing court opinions on what kind of interests meet this “legal interest” exception. Generally, the interest must be related to property disputes, or to memorialize a commercial or business transaction.

Simply recording because it is your policy, or just to make sure that someone else upholds their word, or just to keep your own private record of what people say in a conversation, does not meet the exception. That includes recording someone “just in case” they decide to break their word later on.

Putting the court decisions together, a general rule of thumb arises: If you are recording for your own convenience or to gain some kind of advantage, it will not meet the legal interest exception. Rather, the recording must be to protect a legal interest. The line between these two is not so clear, which is why it is always best to get legal advice before recording phone calls in Australia.

Other Laws and Exceptions to Consider

These laws deal with someone who is a part of the conversation doing the recording. It is almost always illegal for someone who is not a party to the discussion to record any private conversations in any way.

These laws also do not prohibit law enforcement from recording phone calls, after obtaining a proper warrant from an Australian court.

And remember, even if recording a call in your part of Australia is legal, that doesn’t mean that it’s legal to publish the recording or share it with the public. Being legally allowed to record is not the same as being legally allowed to use a recording however and whenever you want.

Recordings made in violation of the call recording laws usually will be inadmissible in court. So even if you don’t get yourself in legal trouble for recording calls, the purpose of the recording may end up being useless to you, no matter how valuable what you recorded may be.

Many violations of Australian phone call recording laws carry criminal penalties, so you should do your homework and maybe even get professional legal advice before recording someone on the telephone. The last thing you need is to find yourself in deep legal trouble for doing something that was intended to help you.

Related: How to Get an Australian Phone Number

5 Tips For Building a Virtual Call Center

8th March 2018 Learn, Tips

If you want to take your life into your own hands and become your own boss then there a few different entrepreneurial moves that you could make. If you’re comfortable talking with people on the phone and want to work from home, building a virtual call center might be the right option for you. There are plenty of benefits to starting your own virtual call center such as setting your own work schedule and being able to help people. There are minimal startup costs, so if you’re on a budget, starting a virtual call center won’t drain your resources. All you need to begin is a room with minimal background noise where others won’t disturb you, good software, and high-quality telephone equipment. Virtual call centers are great opportunities for marketers to make a higher profit by selling products and services over the phone.

1.Getting Started

As previously mentioned, the startup costs for a virtual call center are low. An important item that you will definitely need is a good quality headset. You will be wearing the headset while talking to clients on the phone for hours at a time, therefore a hands-free device that you will be completely comfortable with is very important. A wired telephone connected to the broadband internet is better suited to virtual call centers than a wireless device. Wired phones have better connections while broadband networks are faster and less likely to drop calls. In the virtual call center business, a dropped call could mean a dropped customer.

2. Feel Out Your Options

The previous trend implied that businesses were demanding local call centers instead of outsourcing overseas. However, now, we are seeing a shift towards hiring a virtual call center. And so, having the necessary cloud-based communication solutions becomes imperative.

Depending on your clients, you may have to download a specific software program or use an internet phone service such as Skype or a chat interface. If your client does not provide you with software, then it will be up to you to find one that works for your needs. Virtual call center software is essential when starting your business, but there are so many programs it may be a little overwhelming trying to find the right one for your center. There are many programs that are available and offer free trials, therefore you can try a few different options before committing to one program. Once you’ve chosen one, you will enjoy a lighter bill than a larger company may have to endure while maintaining an equal level of professionalism. These software programs allow you to work from home and eventually hire others that can work remotely from their homes as well. If this structure works for you, you will still have the ability to monitor their performance.

A few questions to ask yourself before committing to a program, according to the Aircall blog include, “What are your business’ particular requirements that your provider must be able to meet? Is your activity seasonal? Do you need to operate in a certain language, or from a certain area?” Once you have answered these questions you can discuss openly your needs with the software providers and they can guide you towards the best choice.

3. Impress Prospective Clients

Virtual call centers offer entrepreneurs a lot of options for finding clients because you are not restricted to your city or even just your state. Trying to get the first client for your startup task may seem like an insurmountable task and you need to be prepared to hit the ground running and be able to describe to any prospective clients why your new company is going to succeed where so many other startups fail. It is also important to research your prospective clients so that you will be able to assure them that you know the ins and outs of their business and will be able to represent their brand in a better way than a different call center would be able to. On the other hand, if they aren’t using a call center, let them know why they should be using one to beat their competitors and gain more customers.

4. Network

Once you’ve set up your own virtual call center and found one or more clients, it’s time to really start growing your business. Becoming a good networker can bring opportunities from multiple time zones. Attend as many networking events as you can, but before you go, make sure you have created a list of your talents and skill sets. Knowing what you’re capable of and being able to articulate how you may be able to help them will make it easier for you to connect with someone. Always follow up with the people that you’ve met and they will often take it from there.

Other ways to network include using social media channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter. If there aren’t many networking events in your area or you just really don’t have the time, social media offers many opportunities. Don’t be afraid to send someone you don’t know an invitation to connect. Just be clear on your intentions up front and make sure you include a message, such as a resource they might find useful, or an offer of your services.

5. Rehearse Your Pitch; Take Care of Your Reps

Now that you have secured your clients, make sure that your sales pitch is up to par. Constant improvement is key to every great business. Practice your script over and over until you’ve perfected it, and then take notes on what works and what does not with your customers to perfect it even more. If you find your new software or telephone equipment to be a bit overwhelming to operate, don’t be afraid to find a training class. Especially as your business grows, knowing how to utilize your equipment is important when the multiple phone calls start to come in. This can be draining at first but eventually will become a welcome challenge. 

Remember to be flexible on your hours of operation if you have clients in different time zones, too. As mentioned before, virtual call centers are great for people who are upbeat and positive with good social skills. This isn’t to say you won’t have a bad day every now and then; and besides, it’s important to find ways to handle the negatives that will inevitably pop up. Try some of the mental remedies such as playing uplifting music, practicing meditation and concentrating on gratitude. Focusing on your breath during a moment of intense emotions assists in calming your harsh thoughts. If you keep these tactics in mind throughout your process of creating your virtual call center, from the first thought to finalizing your client list, then your business idea will soon become a profitable enterprise. Also, keep average call center attrition rates in mind and work towards building a productive environment and team culture.

Maintaining Customer Service Phone Numbers Worldwide

8th March 2018 Learn, Tips

Global Call Forwarding (GCF) provides our clients with toll free numbers in over 140 countries. GCF forwards calls and maintains the lines for local access for business discussions and customer service requests. The process works as follows:

  • Your existing or potential customers dial a toll free local number in their country.
  • GFC’s forwarding service sends the calls to designated call centers or central offices.
  • Your enterprise answers the call.

This toll free forwarding service assures easy-to-dial, high-quality communications in countries around the world, including those areas with poor telecommunication infrastructure.

Features Available with the International Call Forwarding Service

Global Call Forwarding provides an advanced suite of free and optional features for toll free numbers and international call forwarding services. Brief descriptions of the free features follow.

Customized Greeting – Tailor a customized greeting to give callers a great first impression. Many companies use the greeting to direct callers to the appropriate departments.

Select Country Forwarding – This feature is available with the Advanced IVR (interactive voice response) feature. This feature forwards calls based on the country of origin. For example, a call from France could reach a call center with someone who is a French speaker.

Time of Day Routing – This feature routes calls based on the time of day or the day of the week.

Sequential Forwarding – Sequential forwarding delivers calls down a list of predetermined numbers. This feature minimizes unanswered calls. The sequence can have four additional numbers.

Local Ringback Tones – This is the tone that callers hear while waiting for a connection. Forty unique ringtones from around the world are available.

Simultaneous Ringing – With simultaneous ringing, two or more phones ring simultaneously. The call connects to the first responder. This feature is highly useful for call centers.

Call Transfer – This feature places the incoming call on hold while the attendant dials a preprogrammed sequence to transfer the call anywhere around the world. The attendant can either brief the other department or transfer the call immediately.

Voicemail – Voice permits customers to reach your number 24/7. There is also a Voicemail to Email feature that sends an MP3 file of the voicemail to your email. Users can customize the Voicemail to Email feature with the Control Panel and send voicemails to two different email addresses.

Failover Forwarding – The failover forwarding feature allows businesses to program multiple numbers, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) accounts, and Tier 1 carriers. If an incoming call is busy or does not connect, the feature forwards the call to the next number.

Forward Fax – This feature receives and forwards faxes to email as image files.

Customizable Application Programming Interface (API) – The Global Call Forwarding API has features to integrate GFC’s services with an enterprise’s business systems.

Advanced IVR/PBX –  The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) feature provides a computer greeting to direct calls. Callers can use voice or telephone keypad responses. The feature also has a free Private Branch Exchange (PBX) service, a private telephone network that connects calls to individual extensions.

Account Management – This feature has a Customer Control Panel to manage the account and to change feature settings. Account Management is computer accessible, and it permits users to view invoices and call details.

Black and White Lists – This feature filters calls. It can accept or reject calls based on specific telephone numbers or area codes.

Optional Features – Three optional features are available: SMS Forwarding, Call Recording, and Rollover Minutes.

      • SMS Forwarding sends incoming text messages to an email account. As of February 2018, there are 17 countries that are SMS capable.
    • Call Recording automatically records incoming calls. This feature is useful for customer service, quality control, or liability concerns.
    • Rollover Minutes – With rollover minutes, unused plan minutes roll over to the next month.

For more information on the rates and features of international call forwarding, please read the article, “Get International Call Forwarding at Global Call Forwarding”.

The State of the Customer Service Experience as of 2016

The Northridge Group, a management consulting firm, surveyed more than 1,000 United States consumers about customer service issues. A PDF document titled, “State of Customer Service Experience 2016” gives the survey results. The online survey took place in April 2016. The survey report considered differences in generation. The generations, as defined by The Pew Research Center were as follows:

  • Millennials (ages 18 through 34)
  • Gen-Xers (ages 35 through 50)
  • Baby Boomers (ages 51 through 69)
  • Silent Generation (ages 70 and above)

Consumers want greater connectivity to their brands, and they are willing to use several communications channels. However, the companies who respond inconsistently put their reputations and customers at risk. The following paragraphs outline the key highlights from the study.

Customer Effort: Less is More

Less customer effort results in increased customer loyalty. Forty-four percent of consumers reported that companies made it hard for them to get customer service. The phone (56%) was the easiest way to resolve issues while letters (30%) were the hardest.

Not ‘One and Done’

Fifty-five percent of consumers needed two or more communications channels to resolve issues. However, the phone was the most efficient method to resolve an issue. 60% of the time, the phone resolved issues with a single contact, 54% for online chat, 47% for web self-service, 43% for mobile app, 38% for letters, 36% for social media, 35% for text message, and 34% for emails.

Speed Wins

Consumers want fast resolution of issues, and the younger they are, the less time they spend using a given communication method. Within 60 minutes, 40% of millennials switch communications channels, 31% of gen-x-ers, 19% of boomers, and 20% of the silent generation.

Hold the Phone

Telephone customer service meets expectations for 60% of consumers and exceeds expectations for 29% of consumers. When using the phone, 87% of contacts resulted in a response and an eventual resolution of issues. Ten percent of the time, the phone resulted in a response but no resolution, and 3% of the time, there was no response to the phone call.

Shall We Chat?

Online chat is gaining in popularity, especially for millennials, as 27% of them favor online chat for fast issue resolution. Eighteen percent of the consumers in the survey consider online chat as a viable alternative to the phone.

Socially Challenged

Social media is growing as a communication channel with 77% of consumers using it more than in 2015. However, 21% of those surveyed did not receive a response from their brand using social media or text.

Consumers Want to Connect with Companies

Eighty-one percent of consumers in the survey contacted customer service within the past year, and 58% went out of their way to purchase from companies with excellent customer service. In addition, 60% tell their friends and associates when they receive bad service.

Conclusions

  1. Telephone contact is the most effective method of providing customer service.
  2. The worldwide use of toll free numbers enables customers to reach your business quickly and easily.
  3. The features associated with toll free numbers and call forwarding help your customers have an excellent customer service experience.
  4. Grow your business using international toll free numbers for customer service.

Top 16 BPO Call Centers in the United States

6th March 2018 Learn, Tech, Tips

BPO call centers are centralized facilities that handle thousands of inbound and outbound calls and other business processes every day. With such call centers, organizations and businesses can communicate effectively with prospects, current customers, and partners.

The call center services market generated $140 billion of revenue in 2017 and is projected to grow much larger than that by 2025.

What Do BPO Call Centers Offer?

BPO stands for business process outsourcing. BPO call centers handle key business processes such as lead generation, customer service, technical support, and more. Call center outsourcing means hiring a third party — such as a BPO call center — to handle and complete these business processes. Instead of hiring an in-house team, you can outsource these services and reduce costs spent on employees.

BPO call centers aren’t just for customer service providers. They can manage more business processes and operations to support different departments of an organization. Here are a few key responsibilities a call center BPO handles:

  • Customer service and support
  • Lead generation and qualification
  • New order processing
  • Product exchanges and returns
  • Billing, payment, and invoicing services
  • Technical support
  • Special customer requests, and so on.

Call Center Amenities and Technologies

BPO call centers come equipped with advanced tools and technologies to increase productivity and efficiency. This makes them a good alternative to hiring in-house teams and increasing spend on advanced technologies.

Related: Call Center Trends in 2021

Depending on the call center, hardware and software can be shared by full teams or specific individuals. In fact, it is becoming more common for call centers to adopt BYOD policies that let users use their own devices from remote locations. This flexibility increases the global coverage and reach of these call centers.

The largest US call centers make use of administration panels that help employees take calls and prioritize tasks. These call centers will also have various office locations, project management systems, and CRMs. And they will have access to features such as:

  • Call recording
  • Softphones
  • Outbound calling and custom caller IDs
  • International phone numbers
  • International call forwarding
  • Cloud IVR
  • Advanced routing options: time-based routing, simultaneous ring, follow the sun support model
  • Voicemail to email, and so on.

As a call center grows and expands its services, it will need new technology to carry its weight. These tools and technologies help US call centers reduce wait time, save on business-related costs, and connect global teams.

Furthermore, they also help BPO call centers offer the best customer service to their clients’ customers.

Top 16 US Call Centers

The following is a listing of the top BPO call centers in the United States:

Note: This list is compiled from research and reviews collected by UpCity.com, Clutch.co, and G2.

1. America’s Call Center (ACC)
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Professional services for home inspectors: customer service, lead management, market research, selling and upselling, full order processing, etc.
Service Area: International

2. BPO American
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Answering services, inbound and outbound call center services, webchat, email, and SMS services
Service Area: International

3. Intersoft BPO
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Customer service, management, billing, KPO, digital marketing
Service Area: International

4. MAP Communications
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: 24/7 telephone services: answering services, virtual receptionist services, customized call center solutions
Service Area: International

5. PROS
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Internet technology and marketing solutions
Service Area: International

6. CIENCE Technologies
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: People-as-a-Service (PaaS): voice and call center services, SDR services, CRM consulting, outreach, etc
Service Area: International

7. SupportYourApp
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: 24/7 customer support and service for tech companies
Service Area: International

8. Remote CoWorker
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Virtual assistants, customer and technical support, sales and billing, bookkeeping, etc.
Service Area: National

9. SAGE Outsource Solutions
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Customer contact center: customer service, sales, technical support, voice of the customer program (VoC)
Service Area: National

10. Wow 24-7
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Customer support outsourcing provider
Service Area: International

11. Telecom Inc
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Omnichannel contact center: inbound and outbound solutions
Service Area: International

12. Unity Communications
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: BPO services: customer service, virtual assistants, admin support, data entry, order processing, bookkeeping, etc.
Service Area: International

13. Contact One
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Call center support services: virtual receptionists, medical answering services, appointment setting, live chat support, etc.
Service Area: National

14. Callbox
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Lead generation, appointment setting, pipeline management, account-based marketing, event marketing, etc.
Service Area: International

15. Leadium
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Outbound sales, predictive sales funnel solution, lead generation, etc
Service Area: International

16. XACT
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Answering services, lead generation, telemarketing and telesales, customer support, chat or web support, order processing, etc
Service Area: International

Starting Your Own Call Center

Starting your own BPO call center is quite easy to do. You need to identify what key services you will offer and then create a plan accordingly:

  • How many employees will you need?
  • How will you train employees?
  • Will you hire remote employees in different regions and countries?
  • How will you structure your departments?
  • Will you need cloud or virtual call center solutions?
  • What locations will you cover?
  • What technology will you need to offer these services?
  • How will you keep up and comply with call center regulations? And so on.

In the end, it matters how internal processes are set up. Keep things running smoothly with the right technology, consistent training, dedicated employees, and satisfied customers. Once you achieve all of these goals, your organization will be on track to becoming a high-volume call center!

To learn more about Global Call Forwarding’s virtual call center software, speak with our representatives today. We can get you set up with the tools and features you need to run your BPO call center from any location. Call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online!

Related: How to Start a Call Center: A Complete Guide

Amazing Data Centers Around the World

6th March 2018 Learn, Tech

What makes a data center amazing? It could be size or whether the data center has an environmentally friendly, green design. Aesthetics like beauty, uniqueness, or coolness could make it amazing.  Amazing is in the mind of the beholder. However, this article will begin with size.

World’s Largest Data Centers

On August 30, 2017, Hannah Williams reported on the 10 largest data centers by square footage in COMPUTERWORLDUK. The following table lists the centers and their sizes.

 

Largest Data Centers in the World by Square Footage
Data Center Location Size (sq ft) Data Center Location Size (sq ft)
The Citadel Reno, NV, USA 7.2 million Utah Bluffdale, UT, USA 1.5 million
Kolos Ballangen, Norway 6.5 million Microsoft West Des Moines, IA, USA 1.2 million
Range Int’l Langfang, China 6.3 million Lakeside Tech Center Chicago, IL, USA 1.1 million
Switch SuperNAP Las Vegas, NV, USA 3.5 million Tulip Bangalore, India 1.0 million
DuPont Fabros Tech Ashburn, VA, USA 2.1 million QTS Atlanta-Metro Atlanta, GA, USA 990,000

The Citadel

The global technology company Switch owns the Citadel. The Citadel’s connection time to Los Angeles is 9 msecs via the Switch Superloop. Then, from LA to the Core Campus takes an additional 7 msecs via fiber link. The Campus, including all data centers, has a design capacity of 650 megawatts of power. It also delivers 100% renewable energy, making it the largest and greenest data center in the world.

Kolos

Kolos is located north of the Arctic Circle. It will have computing power capacity of 1,000 megawatts, which will get electricity from Norway’s abundant hydropower capability. The project represents a significant milestone in hyperscale cloud infrastructure, offering unprecedented computational resources in an environmentally strategic location. It will have a unique hyperscale data center designed with sustainability and security in mind. The site will open in the fourth quarter of 2018, will full completion by 2027.

data centers
Source: Shutterstock 306988172 – Standard License

Range International Information Group

Public and private funds financed this data center that services the IT sectors of private enterprises and the Chinese government. Construction began in 2013 and finished in 2016. IBM provided design services, technology, business applications, training, and support as needed.

Switch SuperNAP

The Switch SuperNAP site delivers data to Reno in 7 msecs, which allows 50 million people to access data within 14 msecs. This site has planned expansions in 2020 and 2025.

DuPont Fabros Technology

DuPont Fabros Technology consists of 7 buildings in Ashburn, Virginia that operate as a data center campus. The size of the campus is 160 acres. Each of the data center elements accommodates 10,500 servers. The campus total critical load is 208 megawatts operating with a medium voltage distribution system. It also uses isolated parallel power supply topology. During the latter part of 2017, Digital Realty acquired DuPont Fabros Technology, which ceased operations on September 14, 2017.

Utah

This site is a data center for the National Security Agency (NSA). It has a power capacity of 65 megawatts at an annual cost of $40 million. Its Tier 3 data center occupies 100,000 sq ft, administration and technical support, 900,000 sq ft, and the total campus, 1.5 million sq ft. Utah uses 1.7 million gallons of water per day, and its near-term data storage is between 3 and 12 exabytes. (An exabyte equals 1018 bytes.).

Microsoft

The facility occupies 200 acres at a projected cost of $2 billion. This is Microsoft’s largest data center. It will employ 133 persons. The data center is situated in 3 West Des Moines, Iowa locations to reduce the risk from natural disasters like tornadoes.

Lakeside Technology Center

Digital Realty Trust owns Lakeside Technology Center. It used by IBM, CenturyLink, and Facebook, among others. The data center has three electric power feeds to provide 100 megawatts of power, and there are 53 power backup generators. It uses 8.5 million gallons of cooling water per year. Its infrastructure space has four fiber vaults.

Tulip Data Center

Tulip is India’s largest data center. Tulip Telecom owns the site, and IBM assisted with the design of power, cooling, rack layout, and technology. There are 12,000 server racks back up by 100 megawatts of power. Tulip meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standards and is an Uptime Institute Tier IV facility.

QTS Atlanta-Metro

Quality Technology Services (QTS) owns and operates this data center, which has an on-site Georgia Power substation and fiber access to several carriers. QTS offers its clients flexible solutions, secure facilities, real-time visibility, and expert support. The ATS Atlanta-Metro site features ample office space with suites, cages, and rack cabinets, along with dedicated servers, virtual servers, and remote hands.

Greenest Data Centers

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector accounts for 2% of global carbon emissions including 0.3% from data centers. US data centers consume 1.5% of the country’s electricity. Therefore, many data centers feature designs to maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact. A list of five of the greenest data centers in the world follows.

 

  • Green Mountain Data Center – There are two Green Mountain Data Centers in Norway; one in Stavanger and the other in Telemark. Both have achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and Uptime Institute Tier 3 certifications. Stavanger is located deep inside a mountain at a former NATO site, and Telemark is near multiple hydropower plants. The data center serves finance, IT, government, health, O&G (a heavy civil construction firm), and others.
  • Verne Global Keflavik Facility – This carrier neutral, colocation data center is in Keflavik, Iceland. The site uses 100% carbon neutral power and natural cooling. Verne Global offers scalable solutions to address power requirements. Their clients include BMW, VW, DeepL, and the Earlham Institute.
  • HP’s Wynyard, England Data Center – This site was a conversion of an existing 30,000 sq ft warehouse. A design goal was to increase energy efficiency without sacrificing quality and reliability. This data center has a pressure free cooling system with minimum use of chillers. This required wider operating conditions for the IT equipment. Air plenums, to permit large volumes of low-velocity air to cool the equipment, sit below the data halls. The cooling fans use less than 5% of the total facility load.
  • General Electric’s Louisville Facility – The GE data center, built in 2011, has a LEED Platinum certification. The data center is 34% more efficient than similar facilities. High-density servers reduced space by 50%, and ultra-low-flow fixtures reduced water consumption by 42%.
  • Apple’s Maiden, NC & Prineville, OR Facilities – Apple’s data center in Maiden, NC is a 500,000 sq ft facility. It uses 100% renewable energy from its 300-acre site containing three solar farms and a 10-megawatt fuel cell installation. In April 2017, Apple disclosed a deal to buy 200 megawatts of power for its Prineville, OR data center from the Montague Wind Power Project in Gilliam County. It also purchases power from a 56-megawatt project called Solar Star Oregon II and it generates hydroelectric power from a project on the Deschutes River. In addition, Apple uses treated water from the Prineville sewage system to cool equipment.

 

Beautiful Data Centers

Datacenter Dynamics listed these beautiful data centers in its February/March issue of DCD Magazine.

  • The Switch Pyramid near Grand Rapids, Michigan occupies a building the former Steelcase design center. The 225,000 sq ft data center uses the lower two floors.
  • The Bahnhof data center in Stockholm is in a former nuclear bunker. It features waterfalls, a saltwater fish tank, and live plants. Submarine diesel engines generate backup power.
  • The Barcelona Supercomputing Center occupies a 19th century church, the Torre Girona. It houses the MareNostrum supercomputer, an IBM project with the Spanish government.
  • Located in Google, Oklahoma, this data center has murals on the outside walls. The murals represent data center activities and images from Google Maps. Jerry Odell was the concept artist who worked with 15 painters to create this marvelous project.
  • Naver is South Korea’s leading web portal. The data center is at the foot of Mount Gubong in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.
  • Green Mountain, Norway – The data center listed above is both beautiful and environmentally efficient.
  • The NGD Newport data center is in a former LG semiconductor plant in Wales. Electricity from the Dinorwig hydroelectric facility powers the site.
  • Digital Reality owns the Amsterdam Data Tower in The Netherlands. Rosbach Architects of the Netherlands designed the building.
  • AQL built its headquarters and data center in the 18th century Salem Chapel in Leeds, UK. The data center has a glass ceiling, and it occupies the ground floor of the chapel.
  • The LuxConnect data center in Bissen, Luxembourg has grass on its roof to minimize environmental impact. Steel mesh walls act as a Faraday cage for security.

Coolest Data Centers

Some of the coolest data centers in the world include the following:

  • Google’s Floating Data Center
  • Ozark’s Data Center in the Missouri Mountains
  • Sun Microsystem Data Center Bat Cave
  • The Bahnhof data center is extremely attractive
  • The Barcelona Supercomputing Center is a marvel of design

Debt Collectors Have to Follow FDCPA Rules

28th February 2018 Learn, Tech, Tips

Whether you owe a few hundred dollars or tens of thousands to a debt collector, you may be on the receiving end of some frustrating phone calls. Unfortunately, this is one of the many harsh realities of being in debt to a third party. Collectors seem to follow you everywhere.

debt collector phone call
Source: Shutterstock 447617410 – Standard License

 

This is a very stressful situation for thousands of Americans each day. Data actually shows that 73% of American consumers die in debt. Of that 73%, the most common debts were credit card balances, mortgages, auto loans, personal loans, and student loans, in that specific order.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) exists for the protection of the consumer. This is why they have brought this act into law. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) actually protects you from some of the unfair tactics collectors use against you. It basically dictates how collectors should interact with you, and what they should and shouldn’t ask for. If they break the rules, they get a citation. Not only that, FDCPA ensures you have certain rights in the marketplace.

Here’s what you need to know about debt collectors that have to follow FDCPA rules.

FDCPA Rules About Calling

First of all, The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act considers repeated or continuous calls harassment.

Secondly, collectors should only call you during certain times of the day. If they attempt to contact your home before 8 AM or after 9 PM, be sure to log the time to provide as proof later on. More than that, if a collector is calling you during a time they know is inconvenient to you, that is also out-of-bounds behavior.

The FDCPA also has rules about contacting you at work. So if they know your employer does not approve your accepting these calls on company time, this is also a violation of the act.

Debt collectors should never repeatedly call a third party in an attempt to get your location information. In fact, the only time a collector should contact a third party is if they have reason to believe your current contact information is either outdated or false.

FDCPA Rules About Payments

There are many reasons why an individual would get into debt. This includes car payments, medical bills, or an unfortunate circumstance, such as divorce. No matter the cause, there is never a reason you should pay more than the amount of money owed. Further, a collector should not add on extra fees, expenses, or “taxes” attached to the original loan agreement.

You’d be surprised to know that it’s not uncommon for collectors to “double dip,” which is an illegal practice. This is when they attempt to collect on a debt that you settled long ago.

FDCPA Rules About Communications

Debt collectors should conduct themselves in a certain manner when they contact you. Any communications that are considered profane, abusive, or obscene should immediately be reported. Using threatening or violent tactics is absolutely against the law. This includes screaming at or belittling consumers. Keep in mind that debt collectors do not represent the government or any government entity, so they cannot bring in law enforcement agents, such as the police, against you.

Collectors can only go so far in an attempt to collect money. They cannot legally sue you or your family, they cannot file charges, and most importantly, they cannot claim your property or garnish your wages. Any person who claims they can ruin your credit (or threaten to ruin your credit) is lying and cannot take action in this way. They also cannot threaten to take away your home, car, or items of value on your property, including liens on your property. To do this, a collector would have to sue and win a case in court first.

When a collector leaves a message on your voicemail or online answering machine, they must state their name and the company they represent.

You should know that you are allowed a certain amount of privacy when it comes to debt. This means a collector cannot inform a third party about how much you owe, unless you have given them your explicit permission beforehand. Here are the parties collectors are allowed to contact:

  • Your spouse
  • Your attorney or lawyer
  • Your creditor or creditor’s attorney
  • A credit reporting agency
  • Your parent (only if you are a minor)

FDCPA Rules About Debt Verification

So how can you stop a collector from contacting you? Consumers have the right to tell their debtor in writing. It is recommended that you make a copy of the letter before sending the original by mail. You can even pay for a return receipt to ensure they actually received it. When they do, they cannot contact you again, except in these two cases:

  • To inform you that there will be no further communications from their agency
  • To inform you that they intend to take action in relation to the debt, such as filing a lawsuit

Keep in mind that sending this letter does not erase the debt owed or prevent them from suing you in the future.

In terms of verification, a collector must send something called a “validation notice.” This is a written letter stating how much you owe within five days after their initial contact. It must include the name of the creditor and how to move forward if you believe you have been wrongly charged.

If you tell the collector you don’t owe them money, or if you ask for debt verification, they should stop communicating with you. However, you must let them know within a 30 day period. They can begin calling you again if they send a written verification, such a copy of the bill.

What to do if Your Rights are Violated

After reading this list, you may realize that your collector is involved in some shady business practices. So what are your next steps? Here’s who to contact to report an alleged violation:

Be aware that different states have different laws, but your state’s Attorney General office should assist you in understanding your rights. If what they are doing is deemed unlawful, that party is responsible for damages up to $1,000. They are also required to pay your lawyer’s fees and costs.